Space Scrambler

Widely known as the Scrambler, the ride introduced by Eli Bridge Company in the mid-1950s was a fairly novel ride at the time. Even though riders were elevated only a short distance above the ground, it seems as if those who first encountered the ride related the experience to flying in some type of aircraft. Air travel and space exploration was an extremely popular area of public interest in those days. Perhaps one illustration of this is the fact that Lagoon opened their Scrambler, dubbed the Space Scrambler, within the same month that a Russian cosmonaut became the first human in space. Airline stewardesses in full uniform and a pilot were among the first riders and a Lagoon newspaper ad described the ride saying, “You dart all over the sky. Thrilling, exciting, fascinating.”

The Space Scrambler has spent most of its time on the North Midway, but has had a few different locations around the park. When the Wild Mouse opened in 1965, Space Scrambler was its neighbor to the east. It was relocated when Jet Star 2 opened there in 1976. During part of the 1980s, it could be found on the South Midway east of Musik Express before returning to the North Midway at its current location.

Space Scrambler on the South Midway. Photo courtesy of Deseret News

Here is a list of known locations for Space Scrambler with the general time frame it was in each location.

1961-1961: North Midway, probably where the Sky Ride station or Jet Star 2 are today

1962-1964: South Midway, near The Whip and Speedway, Sr.

1965-1975: North Midway, east of original location of Wild Mouse where Jet Star 2 is now

1976-1981: Unknown. Possibly east of Jet Star 2 or on the South Midway